Man threatening to jump from bridge closes 17K in Montgomery during morning rush

July 23, 2013 - 2:04 PM

MONTGOMERY - Town police said a 23-year-old Montgomery man threatening to jump from Ward's Bridge into the Wallkill River was successfully talked down by negotiators after about 90 minutes Tuesday morning.

The police activity closed Route 17K at that location at the height of the morning rush hour, forcing commuters and other traffic to take detours.

Lt. Alexander Landolina said the man , who appeared to be highly intoxicated, climbed to the top of the span - about 75 feet above the river - and repeatedly threatened to jump.

Town and Village of Montgomery police, state police - including negotiators - and state Department of Environmental Conservation police all responded to the scene after the man was first spotted on the bridge around 7 a.m.

"We were all trying to convince him to come down," Landolina said.

After about 90 minutes, the man was convinced to come down to a point where a DEC police officer was able to grab his pant leg, and then other officers were able to remove him from the bridge.

The man, whose name police did not release, was taken into custody under state mental health laws and brought to Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown for a psychiatric evaluation.

Landolina said the man was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, after he allegedly bit the DEC officer. A Town of Montgomery sergeant also suffered a knee injury in the course of removing the man from the bridge.